


merry & bright

by somethinglikegumption



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bughead-centric, Christmas, F/M, Fluff, Movie Night
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-14 15:01:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13010283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somethinglikegumption/pseuds/somethinglikegumption
Summary: When Betty learns Jughead hasn't seen her favorite Christmas movies, she takes matters into her own hands.For stillscape's Riverdale Holiday Exchange 2017.





	merry & bright

**Author's Note:**

  * For [darkbughead](https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkbughead/gifts).



> For [darkbughead](https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkbughead/pseuds/darkbughead), my Secret Santa giftee! You wanted Bughead and Varchie holiday movie night, and I delivered, with an extra heaping spoonful of marshmallow fluff, because we all need it. The POVs are all over the place and it’s closer to comic book Jughead, but I hope you enjoy it and I hope I did your prompts justice!

While more famous for its burgers and milkshakes, Pop Tate’s Chocklit Shoppe served fantastic pancakes. Some nights when it was too cold to stay at the drive-in, Jughead would sit in his booth at Pop’s until the sun started to lighten the sky and he could reasonably order as many pancakes as he could afford. 

Since moving back into the trailer, he was getting more sleep, and less pancakes, so every chance he had to talk his friends into going to Pop’s for breakfast, he would take. That Saturday morning, he’d woken up to Hot Dog barking and scratching at the door to be let out. After a quick glance at his phone, he groaned at the time. 6 am and already the day was off to a bad start.

After letting Hot Dog out and watching him nose around the grass before doing his business, it was 6:15 and Jughead figured Betty would be up already. He’d learned early on that in the Cooper household, if the sun was up, you were up.

**Jughead**

What would you say to Pop’s pancakes?

**Betty**

Yes and please?

**Betty**

I told Veronica I’d meet her for breakfast so she and Archie might be joining us.

**Jughead**

You owe me extra bacon then. I’ll be there in 30 minutes.

An hour later, the four of them are clustered in a booth as Pop whistles behind the counter, festively decorated with lights and tinsel. Veronica’s cuddled up next to Archie with a cup of coffee and Jughead has his arm around Betty’s shoulders, grabbing for a slice of toast on her plate as she bats his hand away.

Jughead reaches for the syrup but it’s snatched away by Archie, who uncaps the bottle and starts pouring.

“Got enough syrup there?” Jughead asks as Archie drowns his pancakes in sugary sweetness.

“We elves try to stick to the four main food groups,” Archie says as he sets the bottle down. “Candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup.”

Veronica shakes her head and bumps his shoulder affectionately. “You’re a cotton-headed ninny-muggins,” she says laughing.

Betty smiles and starts on her breakfast, glancing up at Jughead to see a confused look cross his face. 

“What’s wrong?” She asks, resting her hand on his knee to get his attention.

Looking down at her, he just shakes his head and reaches over to steal a piece of her bacon.

After breakfast, Veronica runs off to meet her mother for a spa day, followed soon after by Archie leaving for a team workout. Betty heads back towards her house, arm in arm with Jughead.

“What was that face earlier?” she questions as they cross Main Street and turn onto Elm. “After that Elf quote?”

Jughead avoids her eyes and takes a deep breath. “Christmas cheer hasn’t been a priority in the Jones family for a while. I haven’t seen many holiday movies.”

“Wait,” Betty says, dragging him to a stop. “You haven’t seen Elf? And you worked at the drive-in? What movies have you seen?”

“I’ve seen the classics,” he hastily clarifies, recalling the cartoons they’d watched in elementary school in the days before Christmas. “Rudolph and Frosty, that Charlie Brown Christmas movie, and we’d show It’s a Wonderful Life on repeat at the drive-in until it got too snowy.” That had always been his favorite, since the first time he and Jellybean saw it at the drive-in, completing the experience with little cups of hot cocoa his mom had splurged on with the last of her paycheck. 

“Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings,” Betty quotes. “But what about the funny ones? Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Santa Clause?” 

Jughead starts walking again, pulling her along with him. “I guess you’ll have to show me,” he tosses over his shoulder, and Betty follows him, a plan already brewing in her head.

Later that night, Betty’s working on a paper and updating Veronica on her idea. “No birthday parties. Not a fan of presents. And now no Christmas movies?” Veronica says disbelievingly into the phone. “I’m guessing you have an idea to fix that.”

Betty smiles and tells Veronica her thoughts. “You’ve got a big screen TV and a Netflix account at the Pembrooke and I’ve got a box full of cookie recipes that he’ll love. What do you say to movie night next weekend?”

“I’ve also got a great Christmas sweater and I was just waiting for the right opportunity to wear it, so I’m definitely in,” Veronica agrees, already planning her outfit. “Saturday night?”

“Perfect!” Betty says, opening a new document to start a list of movies. “Are you getting Archie something special?”

Veronica rolls her eyes and leans back into her pillows, glancing over at the perfectly wrapped gift sitting on her desk. “I got him a new coat so maybe he’ll stop wearing his letterman jacket all the time, but it doesn’t feel special enough.”

“He’s the worst person to buy for,” Betty says, remembering the book, the picture frame, and the scarf she’d bought him over the years, all unused. “I normally make him and Fred enough cookies to last a few weeks.” 

“You’re good at that kind of thing, Betty. Veronica Lodge, however, can’t boil water,” Veronica tells her over the line. “This is our first Christmas and I want to get him something he’ll love.”

“If you ask me, he’ll love anything you give him because it came from you, V,” Betty says. Veronica’s eyes light up, and she tells Betty a quick goodbye, already thinking of how she’s going to make Archie’s gift work. 

A week later, the living room at the Pembrooke was ready for a party. Betty had been over earlier with a pile of blankets her mom had stockpiled and plastic containers full of cookies. A stack of DVDs was next to the TV, and Veronica had filled her Netflix queue with every Christmas movie on the site. She plugged in the Christmas tree lights and even dug out a bottle of peppermint schnapps, just in case. 

Now all that was left to do was wait. She had texted Archie the night before, asking him to come over early, but it was 20 minutes before Betty and Jughead were supposed to show up and still no Archie.

She checks her phone and sees no messages, of course. Her nerves get the better of her and she peeks at the present under the tree, making sure it hasn’t moved in the ten minutes since she put it there. Flicking her eyes away, she breathes in and out, trying to think of something else.

Finally there’s a knock on the door, and she stands, smoothing her skirt and sweater before opening it.

“Sorry I’m late Ronnie, my dad wanted me to help him move some decorations in from the garage,” Archie says as he breezes through the door, kissing her quickly before shaking off his letterman’s jacket and standing by the fireplace to warm up. “I thought since it snowed early this year, it’d stop being colder early.”

“Do you need a blanket or something?” Veronica asks, reaching over to turn the fireplace up. “I can turn on the heater.” 

Archie smiles and pulls her closer, wrapping her up in his arms. “I’d rather you come keep me warm.” He leans his head down to kiss her and her hands slide up to clutch in his hair as she smiles into his mouth.

His hands slowly lower to grasp her hips and she realizes that Betty and Jughead will be there in 15 minutes and she still hasn’t given him her present. Pushing him gently away, she frees herself and reaches down to pick up the gift from under the tree. 

“I hope you like it,” she says, holding out the box to him. 

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” Archie starts, but Veronica stops him. 

“We’re on a tight timeframe here, Archiekins,” she teases, putting her hands on her hips. “Clock’s ticking.”

He smirks and tears into the paper, his enthusiasm getting the better of him. Lifting the lid on the box, he takes in the black leather notebook embossed with his name, flipping open the cover to reveal pages of staff paper just waiting to be filled with chords and lyrics.

“I wanted to get you something you would love, because I love you,” Veronica says softly, picking the notebook up out of the box and handing it to him. “You know I’m not good at feelings, but I needed you to know.”

Archie looks up from the notebook and sees the earnest look in her eyes, her face practically begging him to say it back. 

He grabs the notebook and the box and sets them on the ground before taking her hands in his, lowering his eyes to meet hers. “You didn’t need to get me anything, but I love it. And I love you,” he says, his forehead coming to rest on hers. “You walking into Pop’s that day was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Veronica smiles and rests her hands on his shoulders, lifting herself up on her toes to kiss him as he leans down to meet her.

They almost miss the knock on the door a few minutes later but Archie pulls away slowly, remembering why they’re there and leaving one last kiss on her lips before going to answer the door.

“Took you long enough, I’ve been waiting for these cookies all day,” Jughead says, slapping Archie on the shoulder and heading for the tray of cookies sitting on the side table. Betty follows closely, shaking her head and trading eye rolls with Veronica.

“You didn’t even know I made them until an hour ago, Jug,” Betty says, taking off her coat and scarf to hang them by the door. “We’re here for the movies, not the sweets.”

“Elf first!” Archie declares, plopping down on the couch and kicking his feet up on the table. “I want to see Jughead’s face when Buddy puts syrup on spaghetti.”

The three laugh as Jughead’s face contorts in horror, and Veronica jumps up to find the video. “Wait!” Betty says as she rushes into the kitchen. “Hot chocolate first. We’re doing this right. I found the recipe my grandma used to make with the hot milk and cocoa powder, and I made homemade marshmallows to go with it.”

“Hot chocolate not from a package? Hand decorated cookies? I think we need to start calling you Betty Crocker,” Veronica says, and Betty just smiles. She’s going to make tonight special for Jughead and give him the Christmas memories he deserves.

Once they’re settled in with their hot chocolate and Jughead’s got a massive plate of cookies in front of him, Veronica presses play on the movie. Archie, Veronica, and Betty quote along with the film and Veronica points out some of the locations she’s visited herself. Jughead sits back and watches them, feeling at ease. 

Christmas has never been the best time, just another day for him to be let down by his parents and disappointed at their situation. For the past few years, his present has been a couple dollars and a drunk father crashing in when most people were cleaning up from their evening feasts. 

Today, drinking hot chocolate, eating the eight types of cookies Betty had painstakingly decorated, and watching the movies he’d missed out on as a kid, Jughead finally gets why people love Christmas. It’s not the gifts or the food, it’s being with people you care about and who care about you. 

Betty snuggles up closer to him and he glances down at her, smiling as their eyes meet. Veronica and Archie are singing along with the movie at the top of their lungs, and she laughs as his eyes cross at Archie’s particularly bad falsetto. Leaning up, she kisses his cheek before burrowing deeper under his arm.

After Elf finishes, Archie switches to the live action version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Jughead finds himself laughing along with his friends as Jim Carrey lays out his plans for the day, filing away  _ wallow in self pity _ ,  _ stare into the abyss _ , and  _ solve world hunger _ to tell Jellybean the next time she asks him why he’s too busy to answer his phone.

Veronica starts falling asleep on Archie’s chest as the Grinch is getting little Cindy Lou Who a glass of water on screen. Betty’s antsy, glancing over at her phone like she’s waiting for something. She finally relaxes when the screen flashes on, but she tucks it away quickly before he can see what’s happening. 

“What’s the matter?” He whispers into her ear, and she shakes her head. 

“I’ll tell you in a bit,” she replies, turning back to the movie.

Veronica starts awake as the credits begin to roll, and Betty stretches, her muscles tight from sitting too long.

“You guys want to watch another movie?” Veronica asks sleepily, still tucked under Archie’s arm. “My parents are in the city for the weekend so you can crash here.”

“Thanks for having us, V, but I think we’re going to head out for the night,” Betty says, slowly getting up and cleaning up the cups and plates. Veronica nods and turns back into Archie, falling easily back asleep. Archie huffs out a laugh, and slides one arm under her legs. Using the other arm to support her back, he picks her up and starts walking to her room.

“I’m going to put Sleeping Beauty here to bed,” he whispers, adjusting his grip so she can curl up more into his chest. “Are you sure you don’t want to just stay here?”

“Thanks Arch, but I’ve got something special planned for Jughead,” Betty says, turning off the TV and heading for the door. Jughead looks at her in surprise, and she quirks an eyebrow at him. “Not that, Jug.”

Archie nods and starts back to Veronica’s bedroom. “I’ll come out and lock the door once I put her in her room. Night, guys.”

Jughead follows Betty out of the apartment, grabbing a last cookie on the way out the door. Once they get out into the hallway, he stops Betty with a hand on her arm. “Thank you for planning all of this,” he says, rubbing her shoulder gently. “It was nice to take a break from everything for the night.”

“We’re not done yet,” Betty says with a twinkle in her eye. “We’ve got another stop at the trailer.”

On the drive to the Southside in FP’s old truck, she slides across the bench seat to perfectly fill the gap at his side. Wrapping an arm around her, he takes the turns slowly, trying to extend the ride for as long as possible. Betty gets more twitchy the closer they get to the trailer, and doesn’t stop bouncing until they pull up outside.

She almost jumps out of the truck, walking quickly to the door and waiting for him with a big smile on her face. “Don’t freak out, okay?” she says, taking the keys from his hand and unlocking the door. “I’ll clean it all up if you don’t like it.”

And with that said, she opens the door to a trailer and leads him into a home.

The whole room smells of pine and sugar cookies. There’s a small tree in the corner with multicolored lights and shiny round ornaments, perfectly matched in size and colors, the kind they could never afford to buy. The couch has new throw pillows with embroidered Christmas sayings and images. Stockings are hung on the wall next to the TV, with puffy paint spelling out Jughead, FP, and even one labelled Hot Dog. 

He takes it all in, the first time the trailer has been decorated with anything more than some half-hearted tinsel, and he turns to Betty in amazement. 

She immediately tries to backpedal. “I wanted to give you a happy Christmas for once, and with your dad gone I figured you would be okay with some decorations, I promise I can take it all down - “

He cuts her off with a hand on her face and a kiss on her lips. “This is the best thing anyone has ever done for me, Betty. Thank you,” he breathes, cupping her cheek in his hand.

Betty smiles and brings her hand up to his, taking it and leading him back towards the bedroom. “There’s one more surprise waiting,” she says, pushing open the door.

She’s replaced the bedding with Christmas sheets and cozy blankets, and delicate white lights are pinned up over the room, their brightness giving a soft glow to the darkened room. Her laptop is on the bed, with the final piece of his perfect Christmas already cued up - the opening screen of It’s a Wonderful Life.

Betty digs in the closet for a plain brown shopping bag, pulling it out and handing it to him. He reaches inside to pull out two awful onesies, white with red reindeer and trees all over them. 

He can feel his mouth twisting into a grimace and she giggles, taking the pajamas from him. “I know they’re terrible, but it’s not Christmas without stupid outfits. Polly and I get a new set of Christmas pajamas each year so our photos opening presents are perfectly coordinated.”

“I think these would make Santa cry,” he says, grabbing his pajamas and holding them up in front of him. “There’s no way I’m wearing these.”

“Please Juggie? For me?” she asks, batting her eyes at him. “They’re very comfortable and it’s just for tonight.”

She bites her lip as he thinks about it, purposefully holding out for a moment to make her sweat. “Only for you, Betty Cooper,” he finally relents, and she smiles, her whole face lighting up as he tears off the tags. 

“I’ll go change and be right back,” she promises, heading into the bathroom.

“When do you have to be home? I should probably set an alarm,” he asks as he’s changing, speaking loudly she can hear him through the door.

“My mom’s out of town and my dad doesn’t care, so I’m all yours for the night,” she responds. “I should probably be back before she gets home tomorrow morning, though.”

He’s buttoning up the top when her voice gets louder and he turns to find her standing in the doorway. Her blonde hair is loose from its ponytail, and he has to admit, she’s even made the hideous onesie look good.

She picks up the laptop and scoots over to the other side of the bed, patting the space next to her. Pushing the beanie from his head and putting it on the nightstand, he slides in next to her and pulls the covers over them.

Betty’s about to press play when he puts his hand over hers and stops her. Her eyes are questioning, and he laces their fingers, lifting their joined hands to his lips.

“Thank you for everything, Betty. I love you,” he says.

The corners of her lips turn up into a smile and she rubs her thumb on the back of his hand. “I love you too, Juggie.” 

Hours later, Jughead wakes to the sound of pounding feet and Hot Dog barking his head off. He barely has time to open his eyes before Sweet Pea and Toni bust through the bedroom door.

“Did you like the surprise?” Toni asks excitedly as Sweet Pea leans down to grab Hot Dog by the collar before the dog can run in and chew up any of Jughead’s clothes.

Jughead bolts upright, pulling his arm out from under Betty to rub the sleep from his eyes, and both Serpents wince at the sight of his festive sleepwear.

“I think I’d rather you be naked than have to see those,” Toni comments, and Sweet Pea nods in agreement.

“Those are terrible, Jones,” he says, reaching for his phone. “Perfect blackmail material.”

“Get out,” Jughead rasps out, turning to shake Betty’s shoulder gently and wake her up.

Her eyes flutter open, and she smiles at his bed head, pushing one curl back from his face before reaching over to the nightstand to check her phone.

“Ugh, and they match! I thought you had better taste, Cooper!” Toni yells, covering her eyes with her hands.

“What did I say about getting out?” Jughead asks, rolling his neck and moving to throw the covers back. 

Toni grabs Sweet Pea by the ear and starts dragging him out of the room, recognizing that someone’s going to get hurt and it’s probably going to be Sweet Pea.

“But Betty promised us cookies!” he pleads.

“You’re not getting anything of Betty’s unless you get out,” Jughead says, and Betty has to physically hold him back as Toni forces Sweet Pea out, saying a quick goodbye over her shoulder and shutting the bedroom door behind them.

“Wait! I actually do need to give them cookies,” Betty realizes, pushing the blankets off and moving to get out of bed. “I need to thank them for all their hard work setting up the trailer.”

Before she can get too far, Jughead wraps an arm around her waist, pulling her back down to the mattress and covering her with his body. He lowers his face to hers, kissing her hard as her arms come up to grab at his shoulders.

“I guess I’ll see them later,” Betty says breathlessly as Jughead’s lips move to her neck.

“Much later,” he agrees and she giggles, pulling his lips back up to meet hers.


End file.
